


Around me, people should worry about themselves

by Es_Aitch



Series: Hurt Fic [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen, The Doctor is Hurt (Doctor Who)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-05-12 21:26:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19237405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Es_Aitch/pseuds/Es_Aitch
Summary: It always bothered me how very upset Bill was that the Doctor had hidden his blindness from her – almost as if he had been hurt in front of her before.  This is that story.OR: I’m going to try my hand at Hurt!Doctor Fics, I have another four or so ideas beyond this one.  Various points in Twelfth Doctor time: some AU, some ‘missing adventures’, so follow the series tag, because each story will probably be multi-chaptered.  Also, each story won’t be posted in the Doctor’s Time Line order, though, as I get them written/posted they will be moved within the tag accordingly :)





	1. Chapter 1

Bill had impressed the Doctor regularly.  First, in class, she would smile rather than frown when she didn’t understand something.  To him, this showed not only her hunger for learning, but also that she was smart enough to know  that not understanding wasn’t ever a bad thing – as long as you didn’t let your lack of knowledge control you.  This was a facet to learning that resonated deep within himself.

Second, when she had stood up to him about not mindwiping people.  He should have known better after what he did to Donna, but he had been on Earth for so long recently.  His sentence to guard the Vault was as long as Missy’s to be in it.  In the past seven hundred or so years, he had gotten lazy.  Erasing people’s memories was far easier, since he couldn’t just pick up and leave like he usually did.

Third, while he wished she didn’t ask quite so many questions, when he could get her to focus, her questions helped him solve and figure out whatever was actually going on.  He could save more people because of her.  It was a comfort.  She wasn’t the first student he had taken under his wing in such a way and he was certain she wouldn’t be the last, but it had been awhile since he had wanted to travel this much with anyone.

Fourth, she and Nardole provided a balance he had been looking for.  He hated to love Nardole and he loved to hate him.  Bill created a calm within that torrent.  Besides, Bill gave him an excuse to show off to Nardole, which after so many years together, he had not been able to do recently.

The list could go on, but the point was, Bill wasn’t just a student or mentee, she was a fantastic travelling companion.  She reminded him a great deal of Donna.  He sighed and shook his head.  It wouldn’t do him any good to start thinking about her.  He saved her the best he could, and as he had said on the frozen Thames, he had to move on.

He had known Bill practically an entire school-year, before he had to save her from Heather – the Puddle Girl – which he thought was actually a pretty good track record.  Not all of his mentees had been so lucky.  But now it was Summer Hols and he was getting bored.

Bill had to work more hours in the Summer so she could afford to attend classes and work shorter shifts during the school term.  While he wanted to ensure she completed her education, he also wanted to travel.  They had agreed to once every two weeks and always when Bill would have at least one day off afterwards to ‘recover’.  He tried to remind her that he had a time machine so that wouldn’t matter.  But she would hear none of it, especially since being tied up in 1814 had left marks on her wrists that she hadn’t thought to have the Doctor fix until one too many people asked about them.

Anyway, it was time for a trip and he was trying to pick a place to take her.  They saved people often enough, but sometimes it was just good to go and see another planet.  Enjoy a purple sky or an ice sun.  But for this trip, their first of the Summer Hols, he wanted to do something extra special.

He was going through the TARDIS database.  He wanted to pick a place he hadn’t been before either.  After all, what’s the point of having a Time and Space ship if he just went to the same places all the time?

He smiled as the name Parveon II appeared on the screen.  Not a planet; it was one of Parveon’s moons.  Once a cycle, the species there held “The Celebration of Colour”.  This event was basically a tourist trap, which is why it was only held once a cycle.  The locals never talked about it and the Doctor certainly wasn’t going to reveal their secret.  But, the moon itself provided some interesting features, which was reason enough to go.

The festival would give him and Bill a bit more to see and do, since the locals would intentionally wear extra colourful costumes and have more food options and the like.  And they could talk about the physics of light which created an interesting effect: educational too.  It was perfect!  He couldn’t resist.  He pulled out his phone and sent her a text:  
`Saturday. 10.30am. Don’t be late!`

It was summer and he wanted to leave her at least a couple of hours to sleep in, but how he was going to keep himself entertained in the meantime, he had no idea.  He was surprised at how quickly she texted back:   
`See you then!`

He dropped the phone on his desk and looked at the picture of River, with that knowing smile, that stared back at him from his desk.  River had been the one to really get him into texting.  Though he still preferred calling, he realised that texting was better for these situations and he had learned to only call for the really important things.  Not that this wasn’t important.  It just wasn’t urgent or immediate.

He sighed, pulled a hand down his face, sat in his chair, and lifted his feet to rest on the desk.  “I hope the three of you are proud of yourselves!”

The pictures of Susan and River just smiled at him and the TARDIS hummed a little louder.  He felt like all three were mocking him.  They were right.  Of course they were.  Didn’t mean he had to be happy about it.  And of course, they were pleased with themselves.


	2. Chapter 2

Saturday morning, the Doctor was inside the TARDIS, programming the coordinates and waiting for Bill to show up.  He checked his watch.  It was 10.32.  He grumbled to himself.  “Come on, Bill, I told you to never-ever be late.”

At 10.34, the Doctor considered writing the entire thing off.  Just then Bill burst through the TARDIS doors, panting heavily.  She looked over at him.  He wore an extremely stern expression.  She spoke out against it.  “You’re still here!  Thought you would’ve taken off without me at this point.”

He raised an eyebrow while crossing his arms.  “I considered it.  Why are you late?”

Her expression turned slightly sheepish.  “I was trying to head off a problem before it became a problem.”

The Doctor frowned and took a step towards where she stood.  “What do you mean?”

“Nardole.”

She didn’t have to say more.  The Doctor rolled his eyes and waved off her concern with a hand.  “He would’ve gotten over it, if he had found out.”

She shrugged.  “Yeah, but this way hopefully he won’t find out and you can stay out of trouble.”

“We tossed a coin and he has to leave me alone.”

Now it was Bill’s turn to roll her eyes.  “Somehow I don’t see that stopping him.”

The Doctor shrugged.  It hadn’t stopped him entirely.  The Doctor didn’t enforce it now as much as he had in the first few weeks.  But then again, he hadn’t really tested the boundaries.  End-of-Term had kept him fairly busy and this was the first chance he had to go ‘off-world’ for the simple enjoyment of travelling.  He wasn’t angry with Bill, though.  He found it oddly comforting that she would think that far ahead.  He returned to the lever and pulled it into position, sending the TARDIS on her way. 

Bill smiled as the sounds of the universe erupted around her.  “So, where – and when – are we going?”

The Doctor just smirked.  “That remains to be a surprise.  If I tell you all about it, I don’t get to hear how you interpret things when we arrive.”

Bill pursed her lips, slightly disappointed, but she understood.  The Doctor had to have his version of fun as well.  “Hmm.  Okay.  Do I need to change or anything for this visit?”

The Doctor looked her up and down.  She was wearing one of her colourful tops and blue jeans.  He considered the outfit.  Overall it would be fine – she was more colourfully dressed than he was.  “Don’t you normally have something with colour in your hair?”

Bill had her hair pulled up into a poofy bun today and had used a black band to hold it in place.  She frowned.  “Why?”

The Doctor shrugged.  “You don’t have to change the style or anything, but something brightly coloured might help.  You’ll understand when we get there, the TARDIS can probably provide something.”

She nodded and took off towards the wardrobe.  As the Doctor said, the TARDIS did provide something she could use. 

For himself, the Doctor was dressed a little bit fancier than usual with his maroon velvety coat, a white shirt, and dark blue trousers.  He had left off the waist coat, because he was afraid it would be too warm for the season.  It was still fairly monochrome compared to what they would see on the planet, but enough colour that people would be forgiving of his choices, once they looked at him through their glasses.

Bill returned to the console room a couple of minutes later, just as the TARDIS was completing the dematerialisation process.

Once the Doctor put the handbrake in place, Bill ran to the doors.  She stopped in front of them.  Her eyes sparkled with excitement.  “So, what’s out there?”

The Doctor joined her, his smile mimicked her own.  “Only one sure way to find out.”

With that, he flung open the door in a grand gesture, stepped through, and gestured that Bill should follow him.

Bill stepped out and looked around.  She shook her head in confusion.  That didn’t clear her vision.  She tightly closed her eyes and slowly opened them again.  She was wearing that smile that suggested she didn’t understand what was happening. 

The Doctor stepped out behind her and pulled the TARDIS doors closed.  He smirked at her expression.  “Something wrong?”

“Well, no.  Maybe.  I don’t know.  It’s weird.”

“What is?”

“I know I should see things a certain way, but I can’t seem to.”  She looked over at him and gasped.  “Doctor, something’s wrong with my eyes.  I can’t see in colour.”

The Doctor grinned.  “No.  That’s just how things look here.  Welcome to Parveon II.  One of the moons of Parveon.”  He pointed to the sphere in the sky that was the planet.  “The moons, planet, and two stars of this system create an effect that everything looks monochrome.  The locals are currently hosting ‘The Celebration of Colour’.”

Bill scowled.  “How can it be the celebration of colour when everything is in grey scale?”

The Doctor nodded.  “Grey scale.  Good.  You didn’t say ‘black and white’.”  Which was another reason why he liked Bill.  She understood enough to use precise language.  “And the explanation for the name of this event will become clear later.  For now, join me for a stroll?”  He offered his arm to her.  She smiled and looped her arm through his. 

As they walked to the plaza area where there was a food court of sorts set up, the Doctor and Bill discussed the physical properties that led to this visual effect.  Bill frowned in concentration.  “But, if they know why, there must be a way to combat it?  I mean, even on Earth, they’ve developed special glasses so you can watch a solar eclipse.”

The Doctor grinned in reply.  “Very good.  Yes they have and that’s part of the festival.  But they won’t start selling the glasses until later today, when the effects to see the most colours possible will be at its highest.”

“So what do we do while we wait?”

The Doctor stopped walking and turned to look at her.  “Bill, this is a festival.  We eat, play games, and enjoy ourselves.  Just like we did on the Thames.”

Bill grimaced slightly.  “No fish creatures that are going to eat everyone?  Or swindlers who are trying to make money off of the fish creatures that eat everyone?”

“We’re on solid ground, Bill.  Pretty sure the most dangerous thing you need to worry about are pick-pockets.”

Bill hummed, she didn’t really agree with that sentiment, but she didn’t have a good argument against it.  It made her think of something, though.  “Money!”

The Doctor looked confused, but started to walk again.  “Money?”

“Well, yeah.  I doubt they use British Pounds or the Euro here.”

The Doctor nodded and used his free hand to reach into his pocket.  “Not a problem, I brought plenty with me.”  He pulled out a wad of bills, which Bill had never seen before.

She nodded at his answer.  “Do you even know how much it is?”

The Doctor shook his head.  “No, but enough, I imagine.”

She grinned again.  “If it’s like our money, should be more than enough.”

The pair started to make their way into the plaza of tents to enjoy all the festival had to offer. 

A man stepped around the corner.  He had heard the conversation about money and had seen the number of bills the Doctor carried.  With a sly grin, he started to follow them, keeping enough distance to not be noticed.


	3. Chapter 3

Bill and the Doctor started to make their way through the plaza.  When they had attended the Frost Fair in 1814, Bill had been disgusted by all the odd foods on Earth, but this time she was on an alien planet, she knew better than to expect recognisable foods.  She looked around the signs above each of the tents and mumbled the words as she read them.  “Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Pizza, _Ice Cream_ …”  She glanced over at the Doctor.  “Are you having me on?  Are we inside some building and still on Earth?”

The Doctor looked around them, confused by her question.  “What?  Oh!  No, no, no!  This is a different planet.”

Bill shook her head.  “Then what’s with all the common foods?”

The Doctor smiled and leaned over to her as if to impart a secret.  “Common to _you_.  Completely alien to everyone else here.  What else are festivals for, than to try foods you’ve never had before?”

Bill looked around again and nodded.  “I guess…”

She was still trying to sort out if the Doctor was tricking her or if this was real when he continued.  “Just don’t expect any of it to taste like the foods you’re used to.  They try, but tomatoes not grown on Earth taste different.  And the meat… Well, it will be alien to you.”

Bill grimaced.  “Not sure what could be more alien than hot dog meat, but okay.”

The Doctor smiled knowingly.  “Oh, you have no idea!”

They continued on their way.  Bill was starting to settle into the sights and sounds.  Still confused occasionally by how everything was in monochrome.  She approached a stall that had many scarves.  They looked like they could be multi-coloured, but she couldn’t tell quite what they’d look like.  The owner grinned at her.  “First time here, Dearie?”

Bill looked up, startled.  “Erm, that obvious?”

She smiled again.  “No more obvious than anyone else.  Locals are used to the monochrome, so they know what they’re looking at.  _You_ , are trying far too hard.”

Bill shrugged.  “It’s a bit to get used to for me, I guess.  I like the feel of all the material, but how do I know if I have any clothes to go with it.”

The woman nodded.  “What colours do you like and I’ll see if I have something to match.”

“Bright colours, I guess.  And primary?  Blues, yellows, reds…”  She shrugged, she had no idea it was this hard to talk about colours when you couldn’t see them properly.

“Oh, I have just the thing.  Of course, you won’t be able to tell until they distribute the glasses, but I think this will work.”  She pulled some material out and presented it to Bill.

Bill looked it over and decided she liked the pattern and how the material felt.  Even if the other woman was having her on, she could do something with it.  If she really hated it, she could always give it to Moira.  She nodded to herself.  “Okay.  How much?”

“Oh you are making the right choice, Dearie.  And I’ll even give you a discount.  Let’s say 20 Utopis.”

Bill went through all the currency the Doctor had given her.  She only found one bill with a ‘20’ on it.  She pulled it out and handed it to the woman.  “There you are.”

The woman’s eyes lit up in delight.  She now knew that Bill had no idea how much money she had just given her.  She was very excited, though she tried to hide it from her customer.  This would take care of her family for a week.  “Thank you, Dearie.  I’ll just go and package this up for you.”

She returned a few minutes later with a sack containing a small wrapped parcel.  She presented it to Bill and thanked her again.  Bill nodded.  “Pleasure doing business with you.”

A few stalls down, a man with a sly grin had watched the exchange.  This would be perfect, the pair obviously had no idea how much money they had, nor how to use it.  He continued to follow Bill at a distance.  He had found his mark.  He would just have to be careful of the old man.  That one seemed to know what was going on around him, even if he didn’t seem to understand things like the local currency.


	4. Chapter 4

One of the downsides of his twenty-four years on Darillium is that he learned to eat.  And eat regularly.  And to actually enjoy eating foreign foods when he was in different places.  The TARDIS knows he didn’t need any more knick-knacks, but food was always good to him these days. 

So while Bill was off exploring some of the stalls selling items, he was in the food court area trying out the different foods.  Well, no.  He was avoiding the common foods that Bill had pointed out.  So he was in the tiny section that had offerings specific to this moon.  There wasn’t a lot of it.  That was the problem with tourist traps.  It was hard to get a real idea of the local colour of the people who live there.

Still he was doing his best to enjoy himself.  He was just swallowing some food that looked similar to ox tail when he felt someone strongly pat his back and cry out, “Doctor!”

The entire incident surprised him, which caused him to choke on the food.  Bill saw what she had caused, and turned back to one of the stall-keeps to ask for some water.  While his coughing had slowed, he obviously still needed a minute to collect himself.  She held the cup of water into his line of sight.  He gratefully accepted it and took a few gulps.  When he was certain he could speak without coughing he criticised.  “Are you trying to kill me?”

He took another few sips.  Bill looked properly chastised.  “Sorry.  I thought you heard me come up behind you.”

He took another breath, to be sure of his voice.  “Bill, you’re the only one I think I know here and in a place as crowded as this, I don’t expect anyone to slap my back like that.”

Bill tilted her head and looked at him.  “Is that why you don’t like touching?”

“Well, it certainly doesn’t encourage me to change my mind on the subject.”

“Fair enough.  You okay now?”

The Doctor nodded.  “Get some food, there are places to sit over there.”  He gestured to the tables and started to make his way towards them.  Bill looked around at the stalls, the food looked appetising, so she took her time making her selection.

The Doctor sat at the table in such a way that he could keep his eye on Bill, he was not about to have a repeat performance of what just happened.  He was enjoying his meal and watching Bill obviously trying to barter when noticed a shadow and then a person sat down next to him.

The Doctor looked over at the man.  “This table is taken.”

“Yes, but I want to talk to you.”

“Why? Do I know you?”

The man offered a sly little smile.  “Not yet, but you have something I want, so I want to get to know you.”

The Doctor scowled.  “So do a lot of people.”  Just then the Doctor felt something sharp scratching at his side.  He looked down between the crook of his elbow and his side and saw that the man had a dagger pointing at the side.  He took a breath.  “But you seem to be more ambitious than most.”

The man nodded.  “Or desperate, it all depends on your point of view.”

The Doctor picked up a napkin and wiped his fingers and then his mouth, trying to act as normal as possible as he kept his eye on Bill.  “You have my attention.”

“Good.”

“Actually, no.  Most people don’t like it when they finally gain my full attention.  What can I do for you.”

The man followed the Doctor’s focus and noticed Bill.  “She’s a pretty girl.  But is utterly clueless about the amount of money she carries.  Something tells me you’re the same.”

The Doctor offered a sarcastic grin.  “And you’re here to offer help?”

“In a manner of speaking.”  He pushed the point of the dagger a little more into the Doctor’s side.  “Give me your money.”

The Doctor turned his head to look at the man, as if he hadn’t felt the change in the dagger’s position.  “And if I refuse.”

The man nodded in Bill’s direction.  “Then I’ll have to talk to someone who might be more willing.  In fact, I might talk to her anyway.”

The Doctor blanched.  He had brought Bill here and he had to keep her safe.  “There’s really no need for that.  She only has pocket change.  I have most of it.”

The man’s sly grin returned.  “Glad to know we understand each other.”

The Doctor nodded.  “I need to reach into my pockets to get the money for you.”

The man started to reach into one of the pockets instead.  He shoved his hand into the pocket, feeling around for the wad of money.  It seemed the pocket was empty.  He kept shoving his arm in deeper and deeper.  He was now all the way up to his armpit.  He looked at the Doctor.  “What is this trickery?”

The Doctor spoke calmly.  “I told you to let me do it.  Now, if you could kindly remove your arm from my pocket, I’ll get the money for you.”

The man pushed the dagger even more into the Doctor’s side.  The Doctor squirmed.  He was going to have to have the TARDIS mend his clothes.  His skin might even be scratched.  The man spoke.  “So, we have an understanding.”

The Doctor nodded.  The man slowly withdrew his arm.  The Doctor saw that Bill was starting to make her way over to the table.  He had to act before she got here.  He reached into his pocket and pulled the money out.  He handed it to the man.

The man pushed the dagger the rest of the way into the Doctor’s side.  He gasped in pain and the man withdrew the weapon.  The Doctor watched as the man started to walk towards Bill.  He cried out.  “Bill!  TARDIS!  Now!”

Bill looked over at the Doctor and was confused why he would say that.  He called out again.  “TARDIS!  Run!”

Just then she noticed a menacing man headed in her direction.  She didn’t understand why the Doctor wasn’t running towards her.  She took off running.  She knew better than to run immediately to the TARDIS, especially if she was being chased.  She zigzagged through the festival area, after a few minutes, when she thought she had lost the man in the crowd, she started to make her way back to the table where she had seen the Doctor sitting. 

He wasn’t there.  He had told her to run, but she hadn’t seen him run.  As she got closer to the table, she saw him collapsed on the ground nearby.  She cried to herself.  “Oh no!”


	5. Chapter 5

Bill ran towards the Doctor and called out to him.  “Doctor!”

He groaned softly as he started to sit up.  “I told you to get to the TARDIS.”

“Yeah, well, I couldn’t just leave you.”

He looked up at her, furious.  “When I tell you to run to the TARDIS, don’t question it.  And don’t disobey me or you’ll never travel with me again!”

Bill actually, backed up a little.  He was properly furious.  She had seen him yell at her when he told her to leave before he changed his mind about wiping her memories, but that was more frustration.  This was proper anger.  Unlike any she had seen before.  She came closer to him and swallowed thickly.  “Noted.  What are you doing on the ground?”

The Doctor didn’t want her to know what had happened.  He saw the leg of the table.  “Tripped when I went to stand up.”

There was something about the Doctor’s position that made her want to question that, but at the same time, it seemed plausible.  She looked down and saw the ground had a slightly different colour where the Doctor had been laying.  It almost looked like a wet patch.  But in the monochrome, she couldn’t tell what it was.  “What’s that?”

The Doctor had to think fast.  “Water spilled when I hit the table as I fell.”

Again, something didn’t sit right with Bill, but she didn’t have time to question it.  She pointed to an alleyway.  “I think if we go that way, we’ll get back to the TARDIS faster and be able to avoid him.”

The Doctor shook his head.  “Not enough people, we can’t hide as easily.”

Bill smiled.  “Which is why he will stay here in public.  He’ll think we’re normal tourists.”

The Doctor offered a soft smile.  “You’re getting to be too smart for your own good.”

“And don’t you forget it.  Here.”  She offered the Doctor her hand to help him up. 

He didn’t refuse the offer of help, but groaned in pain when he moved too quickly.  Bill’s worry immediately came back.  “Doctor?”

He shook his head.  “It’s fine, just sore from the fall.”

Bill still didn’t quite believe him, but at this point, thought it was better to get back to the TARDIS.

The more they moved, the less steady on his feet the Doctor became, and the more worried Bill grew.  Something was definitely wrong with him, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t get him to say anything about it.

Bill turned down another alley, taking a quick corner.  She looked behind her and she saw the Doctor coming around the corner.  His jacket flared out for a brief moment and she saw something odd.  There was a strange coloured patch on the Doctor’s white shirt.  From where she stood, she couldn’t tell what it was.

The Doctor followed a few steps after he turned the corner, but he really needed to catch his breath before he continued on and so he stopped and leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.  It hurt like hell to try to breathe like this.

Bill approached him cautiously.  Something was definitely wrong.  She didn’t remember the Doctor ever struggle with breathing this much when he ran.  Her brain was trying to assemble all the details together, but she simply refused to believe it.  “Doctor, something’s wrong.  What’s with that blotch on your shirt?”

The Doctor didn’t have to look down to know what Bill had seen.  He knew it was happening, but he had hoped she wouldn’t notice.  He should have worn his waist coat after all.  He was bleeding out.  That was what Bill had seen on the ground.  It was what she now noticed.  His breath was coming back to him.  “Nothing for you to worry about.  We just need to get back to the TARDIS.”

Plenty of things he could use to patch himself.  And worse case, a healing coma would do him just fine.  Besides, he was far more worried about her safety than his health.  She looked like she was about to argue, but then thought better of it.  “Okay, wait here, I’ll see if there’s a more direct route.”

She went down the street to the next building and peeked around the corner.  They were actually right across from the TARDIS.  Good.  She ran back to the Doctor.  “We’re almost there.  Just around that corner and across the plaza.”

The Doctor groaned.  Not in pain, but because the plaza would be too populated.  He steeled his nerves and nodded.  “Okay.  Let’s go.  But you run; don’t let me slow you down.  Whatever happens, you get in the TARDIS, understand?”

Bill nodded.  The Doctor’s voice had that sharp anger to it he had expressed earlier.  But something else too.  Concern, of course.  He was always concerned, even if the little fella said he always missed the tears.  No, this was closer to fear or dread.  That made her worry more.  “I understand.”

She saw him relax slightly at her reply.  He reached into his pocket and handed her his key.  “She’s locked, you’ll need this.”

Then he nodded and gestured that she should run ahead.  Bill didn’t need any more encouragement.  She took off towards the TARDIS.

The Doctor moved behind her.  He was losing too much blood.  He knew it.  It was making him lightheaded and moving quickly was not going to happen.  So he moved slowly for now.  Trying to build up or save strength for the run he would need to make across the plaza.  When he reached the corner, he peeked around it.  The TARDIS stood proudly in the centre of the plaza.  It was farther away than he wanted, but closer than he expected.  That was good.

He watched as Bill made it to the TARDIS and opened the door.  Bill turned to watch for the Doctor.  He took a breath.  It was now or never.  He started to make his run from his hiding place to the safety of the TARDIS.


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor made it to the TARDIS and closed the door behind him.  He leaned heavily against the rail, trying to get his breath back.  The way he was leaning against the rail, meant that his overcoat hung in such a way that even in the light of the TARDIS, the blood on his white shirt was visible.

Bill was at the console waiting for him.  She turned when he entered and gasped loudly when she saw the blood-stained shirt.  “What the hell happened?”

She rushed toward him to get a closer look at his shirt.  He knew what she was talking about, but wanted to avoid this entire thing.  He looked down and saw that she could see the evidence of what happened, especially now that she could see in colour again.  He pulled his coat in such a way as to hide the wound from sight.  “It’s fine.”

As Bill started to move towards him, he moved the other way around the console.  It was time to get them out of there.  But he still moved slower than usual.  He was being more cautious because he was afraid if he fell to the ground, he might not get up again.  Bill followed him, knowing he would have to stop to put new coordinates in and throw the dematerialisation lever.  “No, it’s absolutely not!  You’re bleeding!”

The Doctor didn’t take time to make any programs.  He simply pressed one of the ‘rapid return’ buttons and engaged the handle.  “It’s a flesh-wound.  It’ll heal.”

All the things that seemed wrong before slotted into place.  “That wasn’t water on the pavement, was it?  It was blood.  _Your_ blood.”

“Bill, I said it was fine.  I’ve travelled enough to know more than you about such things.”

She shook her head.  “Maybe, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need help.  Come here, sit.”

She approached him slower, but he was no longer trying to back away from him.  She gently rested a hand on his hand that was still clutching the lever.  He looked down at her and knew he wasn’t getting out of this one now.  With a sigh that was a cross between defeat, exhaustion, and pain, he nodded and let her help him into one of the seats.  She did the best she could to look at the wound.  “Have you a first aid kit around?”

The Doctor nodded.  “Down those stairs.  The middle round-thing is a cupboard.  There’s one in there.”

Bill went to the one indicated and opened it.  She only saw a selection of decanters.  “Doctor, there’s only alcohol in here.”

The Doctor chuckled softly.  “All the first aid I need.”

Bill looked back at him and her expression changed to one he had never seen on her before: rage.  She stormed up the stairs and stopped about halfway across the console platform.  “Stop toying with me.  You need help and I’m here to help.  You’ve gotta have a first aid kit, or a place to treat injuries or something.”

The Doctor sighed again, knowing he wasn’t going to win this round.  He nodded slowly.  “If the TARDIS cooperates, through that door and first door on the right.”

“Good.”

Bill approached him, intent on helping him to walk to the indicated room.  The Doctor tensed for a moment, because she still looked mad as hell.  But her touch, in extreme contrast, was quite gentle and he acquiesced easily to allow her to help him.  As they walked, Bill tried to get a better look at the wound, but the jacket and the dark lighting of the console room prevented her from seeing much. 

When they reached the indicated room, Bill gasped.  She shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was.  “You’ve a whole medical clinic in here?  I should’ve suspected.”  The Doctor gave no reply.  She walked him to one of the cots and helped him to sit on it.  She spoke quietly as she helped him to remove his coat.  “Okay, what do you need?”

He grimaced and grunted as the movements to take off his coat made the wound hurt again.  “There’s a cabinet on rollers over there, bring it here.”

Bill looked around and saw the indicated item.  She went over to bring it to him.  He looked down at the wound and hissed at the sight of it.  This was not going to be easy.  It was still bleeding worse than he liked and more than likely he’d need Bill’s help.  Once the cabinet was in reach, he considered what he would need.  “Second drawer.  There’s a device that looks like a barcode scanner.”

Bill wasn’t sure if she’d know, since half the things the Doctor had looked familiar and different at the same time.  But he was right.  It looked a lot like the scanners she had seen in any number of stores.  She pulled it out and presented it to him.  He shook his head.  “The wound is in an awkward place.  I need you to scan it.”

She raised an eyebrow, unsure if she would do it right.  The Doctor just gave her an encouraging nod while he moved his arm out of the way so she could do the scan.  She frowned.  “Your shirt’s still on.”

He shook his head.  “Doesn’t matter, like an x-ray machine, it will scan through the clothes.”

She nodded, still a bit dubious, and scanned the wound.  She looked at the little display on the scanner but couldn’t make heads or tails of the reading.  “I can’t read this.”

Yet the writing looked familiar, she had seen it before, somewhere.  The Doctor took the scanner from her and looked at it.  “That’s because this is in my language.”

He was quiet a few moments while he read the results. 

Bill shifted her weight from foot to foot anxiously, she had so many questions about the scanner and the Doctor’s language, but she knew this wasn’t the time.  When the Doctor was done, he nodded to himself.  “It’s not bad.  But would be better to let it heal on its own rather than do any interventions.  Old school.  The way you humans do things.”

He tried for humour, but could tell from Bill’s expression that it fell flat.  He shrugged and gave her the instructions.  “There’s a sink over there.  There are flannels and hand-cloths in the cupboards above it.  There should be a few small bowls next to it.  Bring two cloths, two bowls with lukewarm water, and some soap.  I need to clean this before putting a bandage on it.  Oh, and go ahead and wet one of the cloths before you come back.”

Bill nodded and walked over to gather the requested supplies.  It took a moment for the water to heat up to the right temperature.  Bill was glad.  It gave her time to think.  She turned her head so she could look at him from the corner of her eye.  She wanted to be angry with him.  Wanted to yell at him for being an idiot, but that could wait.  She wanted to make sure he was okay first.

The Doctor did not want to undress in front of anyone.  The last time anyone had seen him even partly uncovered was when he had been with River.  And he had been more than partly uncovered then.  But he still had two layers of tops on and he needed to take those off before he could clean the wound.  Bill’s back was to him, so at least it gave him some modicum of modesty.  He unbuttoned his shirt and slowly took it off.  Then he looked down at the pullover.  It would have to go too.  Luckily, his trousers could stay on, though they would have to be washed.  He sighed and pulled off the shirt.  He debated putting a medical top on, but decided it would just get in the way anyway.

Bill, having gathered the requested items, turned around and made her way back to the Doctor.  He looked miserable.  And a bit more pale, which was hard to imagine.  Then she realised something: red blood and physically, at least from what she could see, he looked human.  “I thought you said you were a Time Lord.  An Alien.”

The Doctor watched as Bill set the items on the cart so they would be within reach.  “I am.  Why?”

“Well, it’s just, red blood and, well, you _look_ human.”

The Doctor was about to reach for the wet cloth, but Bill shook her head and gestured that he should move his arm and she was going to clean the wound for him.  He looked like he was about to protest, but she was still harbouring a lot of anger, so he just moved his arm and nodded.  “Well, that is where you’re wrong.  You lot look Time Lord.”

Bill frowned as she carefully started to clean the dried blood away, easing closer and closer to the actual wound.  It was still bleeding, but not profusely, so cleaning the dried blood would have some effect.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Evolution Bill.  In the same way that birds evolved from some dinosaurs…”

Bill smirked at that.  “Well, obviously, you’re the dinosaur in this scenario.”

The Doctor chuckled softly and then gasped as Bill hit a tender spot.  “In more ways than you can imagine.”

That made more questions come to Bill’s mind, but she was worried about hurting him.  “Sorry, I’m being as gentle as I can.”

The Doctor nodded.  And looked down at her progress.  “That’s good enough.  Rinse out the cloth and soap it up.”

Bill nodded and started to do as she was told.  “Soap and water.  I’d think you’d have some magical medicines or something.”

“Soap and water is tried, tested, and true.  Even your hospitals will use soap and water and only use antibiotics as a last resort.”

Bill frowned.  “Really?  Then why do they have all those first aid products?”

The Doctor chuckled.  “Because you pudding brains will spend money on anything commercials tell you to and companies like to make money.”

Bill smirked.  “Well, can’t argue with that.”  She took a breath.  “Okay, I cleaned all around the wound.  That should do it, yeah?  I mean didn’t I read somewhere if a wound bleeds a lot, it cleans itself?”

The Doctor nodded.  “Usually that’s true.  But I don’t know how dirty the knife was.  It’s just a painful precaution I’m taking.  I’ll probably inject a round of antibiotics too, just to be safe.”

Bill pursed her lips.  “Okay.  This’ll probably hurt, though.”

She rinsed the cloth and soaped it up again.  The Doctor nodded.  “Needs must.”

As gently as she could, Bill started to clean closer and closer to the entry point.  The Doctor would jerk and hiss sometimes, when she hit an especially sensitive area.  She then took the other cloth and used the clean bowl of water to moisten it, so she could clean up the soap, as well as some of the blood that was still coming out of the wound.  Realizing that the wound wasn’t going to stop bleeding to let her continue her work, she pressed the cloth against it, to prevent the blood from getting all over the Doctor again.  But mostly this was done in companionable silence.

The Doctor watched her work.  When she was done he nodded.  “Good.  Now, third drawer down, there should be some gauze and pressure tape.”

With her free hand, Bill found the items.  Still shocked that the Doctor had such basic supplies and more that he would use them, she handed them to him.  “Here you get them ready, I’m gonna keep pressure on the wound so we can keep it as clean as possible.”

The Doctor nodded and took several squares of gauze and prepared them to pack over the wound.  Then he opened the pressure tape enough that while bill held the gauze against the wound, he’d be able to cover it all.  “Okay, everything is ready.  Take the gauze pack that I made and press it against the wound instead of the wash-cloth.  Then I’ll put the pressure tape over it and that should be it for patching me up.”

Bill nodded again and did as she was told. 

Once all that was done, the Doctor gingerly got off the trolley and moved to another set of cabinets in the medical bay.  He spoke while he did that.  “There’s a laundry chute next to the sink, the jacket, shirt, pullover, and wash-cloths can all go in there.”

Bill frowned.  “Doctor, these are wet, won’t they grow mould or something?”

The Doctor turned from looking for the antibiotic he wanted and scowled at her.  “No.  The TARDIS will take care of it.”

Bill rolled her eyes.  “Should have known.”

She continued with that while the Doctor injected himself with the needed medicine.  He turned to look at her.  “Right.  I’m going to go take a shower and get properly cleaned.  Meet you in the console room?”

The Doctor escorted her to the hall and pointed to the console room.  “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Bill nodded and walked in the pointed direction.


	7. Chapter 7

The longer Bill waited for the Doctor to return, the angrier she grew.  The alien was completely daft.  He had hidden his injury from her, when she could have helped.  When she _had_ helped!  She paced around the room, trying to quell her emotions. 

For his part, the Doctor had time to think while he was in the shower.  Too much time to think.  If that thief had gone after Bill instead of him, things could have turned out far worse.  The fact that his organs were in slightly different places is mostly what saved him.  Well, and his ability to heal rapidly.  He had told Bill it was always dangerous, but he really hadn’t meant like this.  He had to do something about that and soon.  He finished his shower and dressed, still undecided what to do, other than to return home for now.

About twenty minutes later, the Doctor arrived at the console room.  In his own concerns and worry for what to do, he had forgotten all about Bill’s anger.  That was until he walked into the room and saw her pacing in an agitated state.  He gulped as he remembered her various expressions of fury over the past hour or so.  He took a breath to steal himself.  He had faced down billions of Daleks.  But Bill?  She was someone to really fear.

He made his way to the controls, when he remembered they should already be home.  He winced.  He was going to just have to take what she gave.  He turned to face her, may as well get this over with.

For a few minutes, the Doctor didn’t think Bill had noticed him.  She had.  She just didn’t know what to say to him.  Finally she came to stand right in front of him.  Her feelings were mixed.  He was still her tutor.  He could still make her education hell, if she did this wrong.  She had heard of students who slept with professors and when it ended poorly, their academic pursuits were in ruins.  Not that she and the Doctor ever would do that.  He had two major strikes against him:  she wasn’t into men and he was an alien.

She huffed and finally met his eyes.  “You’re always this much of an idiot, aren’t you?”

He frowned he hadn’t expected that question.  “I’m sorry, what?”

“Well, you never answer questions properly.  Not even in class, really.  And just now, you were hurt, bleeding all over the place, and you brushed it off like it was nothing.”

He pursed his lips.  “It was nothing.  Look at me.  I’m fine.”

“You’re pale as a ghost, and you were pretty pale before.”

“But it’s nothing life-threatening.  Just a bit of blood loss.  Don’t even need a transfusion.”

Bill glared at him.  “On the Thames. You said you weren’t the right person to ask about staying out of trouble.  Is this what you meant?”  She gestured him up and down to indicate his injury in a general way.

The Doctor pulsed his cheek for a moment.  “Not usually.  No.”

Bill knew better than to ask him how many times he’d been hurt, but after his answers about how many people he’d killed, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer to that question.  “Then what is it usually like?”

The Doctor sighed and moved to sit in one of the seats.  He wasn’t tired from his injuries, more from the turn the conversation was taking.  “Usually it’s everyone else getting hurt… or dying.”

He looked up at her.  His expression wasn’t quite one of pleading or desperation, more longing.  He wanted her to understand something.  She tilted her head to look at him for a minute.

“Like Heather.”

He thought about it for a moment.  “Usually much worse, but that’s a good place to start.”

Bill tried to suss him out.  “Like Spider?”

He nodded once.  “That’s closer.”

“And anytime you’re hurt, you just go on as if nothing has happened until as many people as possible have been saved.”  It was a statement.  She was starting to understand.  “Have I ever seen you hurt before?”

He considered it for a moment.  He had watched her for a long time before inviting her to be a student.  “Not since we started tutoring.”

Bill nodded, accepting the answer, though she didn’t entirely understand it.  “And I suppose even though we’re travelling together now, you wouldn’t tell me.”

He shrugged.  “I’m not human, Bill.  Do you really think I’ve gone over two thousand years without learning how to survive scrapes on my own?”

There was something about the way he said that.  But she couldn’t really argue against it.  She hummed.  She thought she understood better now.  She didn’t like it, but could accept that he had to do things his way.  After all, it seemed they were both willing to make compromises for the other, this was just one more.  She bit her lip in thought.  He picked up on that.  “You have another question.”

She nodded.  “You’re not going to start downgrading me for lecturing you, are you?”

He chuckled softly.  “I didn’t downgrade you after you yelled at me on the Thames, did I?”

“I suppose not.  We’re okay, then?”

He shrugged.  “I’m a little disappointed that you didn’t get to see the rest of the festival.  But you and I…?  I think we are.”

“I don’t want to go back.”

“Good, neither do I.”

She finally smiled at him.  “It was fun while it lasted.  And I’m not put off of travelling.  In fact, I think you need someone with you more than ever now.”

He offered a small smirk.  “I’ll see you Monday at six-p.m., Bill.”

She was being dismissed, but she knew it was because he wasn’t good with accepting help.  But she was glad they had this conversation.  It made it easier to leave.  Still, she couldn’t resist a light joke.  “That’s it?  No instruction to not tell Nardole?”

“What goes on between the two of you is none of my business.”

She smiled at that.  She was glad he wasn’t asking her to lie.  “I won’t.  Unless he asks me something specific.”

The Doctor nodded his thanks.  “I thought that’s how you’d feel.”

With that, Bill exited the TARDIS and started to make her way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for this story. Thank you to everyone who read, liked, and commented on this story. Next story in this series will be up next week. It's more emotional hurt than physical.


End file.
